Jumps

High Jump

Athletes have to clear a bar which is moved up by a few centimetres at a time depending on the individual jumper's request. If the bar is knocked off its supports by the athlete, then the jump is counted as a miss. Three consecutive misses by an athlete eliminates him/her from the competition. The jumper who jumps the highest, with the least number of misses at that height, wins the gold medal.

Athletes to watch Men: Charles Austin, Steve Smith. Women: Monica Dinescu, Hestrie Storbeck

Pole Vault

Technically, the pole vault is a similar event to the high jump. The difference is that the bar is much higher and athletes use a long pole to help them clear the bar. The men can reach heights of over 6 metres, making the pole vault a very exciting event to watch.

Athletes to watch Men: Maksim Tarasov, Sergey Bubka, Riaan Botha. Women: Emma George

Long Jump

Jumpers sprint at full speed down a strip of tartan before taking off on their jump. They land in a sand pit. The length of the jump is taken from the take off point to the athletes body print in the sand. The athlete who jumps the furthest is the winner.

Athletes to watch Men: Joe Greene, James Beckford, (Carl Lewis?). Women: Heike Dreschler, Marion Jones, Chioma Ajunwa

Triple Jump

Similar to the long jump, this event involves a "hop, skip and jump" before the athlete finally lands in the pit. The length of the jump is measured from the take off point of the 1st "hop".

Athletes to watch Men: Jonathan Edwards, Kenny Harrison, Charles Friedek. Women: Inessa Kravets, Inna Lasovskaya

Throws

Discus Throw

The athletes who reach the final have three attempts at throwing. The gold medal goes to the one who throws the furthest within the legal throwing sector.

Athletes to watch Men: Lars Riedel, Virgilius Alekna, John Godina. Women: Franka Dietzsch

Hammer Throw

The rules are similar to those of the discus. The hammer is a heavy metal ball which is attached to a length of metal wire with a handle on the end.

Athletes to watch Men: Tibor Gecsek. Women: Mihaela Melinte

Shot Put

The shot put is a heavy metal sphere. Competitors use their body weight to "throw" the heavy ball as far as they can. The shot put is seldom thrown further than 22 metres.

Athletes to watch Men: John Godina, C.J Hunter. Women: Vita Pavlysh

Javelin Throw

The aim of this event is to throw the spear-like javelin as far as possible within the legal parameters. The javelin is often thrown over 90 metres. Recently, a newly designed javelin for women was introduced. It is easier to throw than the men's javelin, although it doesn't travel as far.

Athletes to watch Men: Steve Backley, Marius Corbett, Jan Zelezny. Women: Tanja Damaske

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